First review from the Via Merulana

Mauro Palermo has been quickest off the mark for us, here is his view of That Awful Mess on the Via Merulana which he read in the original Italian.

“Quer pasticciaccio brutto de via Merulana” is not a “giallo”, at least not as we normally mean it.

There's a crime, there's the dead, there's an inquiry, but there's not a real crime plot. This is a rare case of novel where the plot is subordinated to writing.

The author uses the story to have an excuse to play with words. The writing is outstanding, used to outline the different characters and also to express what the characters think or feel about the others.

In this way the use of different dialects (or of a higher or lower level of Italian, from very basic to solemn) contributes to give life to each character. (I wonder how this is reproduced in the English translation).

In the end it is not so important to discover who killed Liliana, the aim of the author being bringing us inside Rome in the late twenties and making us understand what everyday life was there at that time. And we dive into this world, feeling like we are home and everything that happens around us seems real.

Club introductions

I've got the book, and hopefully most of the rest of you have too. I thought it might be worthwhile putting a note down of everyone who I know is involved. I am sure to miss some out, so flag yourself up if I have not mentioned you.

Fellow Football Italia scribes Scott Fleming and James Horncastle are on the team, they are @sfcalcio and @JamesHorncastle on Twitter.

We also have the greatest living Juventino Adam Digby (@adz77), a proud Palermitano Lorenzo Vicini (otherwise known as @PalermoOffside) and died-in-the wool Romanista Vanda Wilcox (@SpanglyPrincess).

Also from the great Twitter world and blogging is Chris King (@NorthernWrites) and, I think, Milan fan @ginodb.

Following us but with the Italian versions of the book are Mauro Palermo (@MauroPalermo) and Michelangelo Gamberini (@mkidj).

Last, but definitely not least, is a good friend from real life, Jim Gordon, (see Peem comment below). I am also trying to recruit another of Coatbridge's finest, Martin Reilly.

Enjoy the Via Merulana.